Process of generating oxygen.



M. MAURAN & J. H. MAGMAHON. PROCESS OF GENERATING OXYGEN.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV: 23, 1909.

1,001,873. Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFIfiE MAX MAURAN, or NIAGARA FALLS, AND JAMES H.MAOMAEON, or LA sALLn, 1mm

3 v 1 YORK.

, 'Pnoonss or GENERATING OXYGEN.

c it known that we, MAX MAURAN and JAMES H. \IAoMArIoN, citizens of theUnited States, residing, respectively, .at Niagara Falls and LaSalle,-in the county of Niagara andSt-ate of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Proccsses of Generating Oxygen,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

oxygen on a commercial basis by means of a well known'process whereinthe gas yieldpochlorite, the catalytic mg material, such as ordinarybleaching powder, or other hypochlorite in solution, is subjected to theaction of heat and a cat alytic agent such as a salt In previousattempts to obtain oXy en in this manner upon an industrial-basis, thecatalytic agent which is comparatively ex pensive, has necessarily beenallowed to go to-waste before its utility has been fully destroyed. Inother words, the catalytic agent has been introduced into the solutionin the orm of a liquid or loose'powder and after the separation of theoxygen from the hyagent is allowed to go to waste with the residue inthe containmg vessel.

One of the principal objects of our invent on is to so manipulate theoxid of cobalt or other catalytic agent, that it may be used more orless repeatedly and indefinitely upon successive charges of the gasyieldingmaterial, and to accomplish'this, our invention consists inincorporating the oxid of cobaltgorother -agent;'-in an amorphous orcrystalline form, comminuted, in a retainer or material, such as moldedPortlandcement or baked clay. With the catalytic agent thus supported orbonded in or upon'the retainer, it can be brought into contact with thehypochlorite solution by 'and with the same the retainer in thesoluslmply immersing The particles of catalytic agent extion.

posed on the surface of the retainer will act upon the hypochlorite inthe same manner efiiciency as if the agent were introduced into thehypochlorite in liquid or loose powder form, and it will be seen thatwhen the gas yielding material'has .p its oxygen, the residue can bewithul-awn from the vessel without removing the catalytic agent which,of course,- remains the retainer,

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 23, 1909.

or oxid of cobalt-- Serial No. 529,532.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an apparatus that may beadvantageouslyused in carrying out our process.

reac ion vessel equipped as contemplated by our invention; Fig. 2 showsa similar viewof the reaction vessel in which the retainer for thecatalytic agent is composed of a number of bodies, and F ig. 3illustrates forms 'of the catalytic retainer. This invention relates tothe production of 1 indicates the reaction vessel; 3 is an inlet theretofor the sludge or hypochlorite solution, and 4 indicates the exit forthe residue after the solution has given up its oxygen.

5 indicates the oxygen passes ofi' usual scrubber and pipe through whichthe as it is generated, to the tank, not herein shown.

Patented Aug. aa, 1-911.

igure 1 shows, in section, a container or In ,Fig. 1, 6 indicates alining for the reaction vessel consisting of baked clay, Portmert,-non-corros1ve dened. This lining contains a suitable percentage of theoxid of cobalt or other catalytic agent in an but more or lesscomminuted form, which is mechanically held and evenly distributedtherein, but of which more or less is exposed upon that surface of thelining which is presented to the solution. v

A solution ofbleaching powder of about one part to five parts of waterby weight, is to be introduced into the vessel 1. For

treating such a solution, the amount of co- O balt exposed on the lining6 should be about of the Weight of the bleaching powder. 'lheseproportions are best for the commercial production of the oxygen, butthey may be varied to suit conditions. The previously heatedhypochlorite solution is admitted to the vessel 1 where it comes intocontact with the lining 6; thereupon oxygen the outlet 4, der may beadded to the liquor or an entirely fresh solution introduced, ,and theop eration repeated. During the successive operations, the catalyticagent held in the linmg remains intact and can be used over and overwithout loss or appreciable diminution. Any sediment that may adhere tothe sur-- face of the retainer should be washed or amorphous orcrystalline brushed 03 from time to time to maintain 'of the materialmay be used an the full activity of the catalytic agent. The lining ofthe vessel 1, it will be observed, acts as a carrier and retainer forthe catalytic agent, but as such, may be put up in various forms. As alining it serves to retain the heat as well as to protectthe vessel fromcorrosion and is preferable for these reasons, but the' catalytic agentmay be carried by cement or clay blocks, plates or-balls,--or in factbroken u chunks any of these forms may be supported or suspended withinthe vessel in any manner so that the solution may come in contact withthe surface thereof, and so be acted upon by the catalytic agent heldtherein. We also propose to apply the particles of the catalytic agentto, the surface only, of the retainer,

which can be done by pressing them into the surface while it is in asoft condition.

In Fig. 2 retainers in the form of lates 7 are shown in conjunction withthe lining, and a plate of this character together with a retainer inthe form of a ball is 'shown in .Fig. 3. If the hypochlorite solution isto be heated after it enters thereaction vessel,

It should be understood that we do not I action of an oxidizing solutionwhich would precipitate the cobalt in the form of an oxid 1n the poresof the retainer. Having described our invention, we claim 1. A processof generating oxygen consisting' 1n anchoring solid particles of acatalytic agent in a substantially stationary body'of oxygen yieldinsolution, maintaining the reaction until t- 1e solution is spent,

and then separating the residue of the gas yielding material from thecatalytic agent, substantially as described.

' 2. A. process of generating oxygen consisting 1n anchoring solidparticles of a catalytic agentin a substantially stationary bodyof-oxygen yielding solution, allowing the reaction to take place, andthen separating the residue of the gas yielding material from thecatalytic agent, substantially as described.

' In witness whereof, we subscribe our signatures, in the presence oftwo witnesses.

MAX MAUR'AN.

JAMES H. MAoMAHON. \Vitnesses:

FRANCIS L. SMITH, F; EMIL YVILLERS.

Gopiea o! this patent may-be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner-ct Ztatents.

Washington, D. C.

